A general view shows the Fred Wigg Tower in Leytonstone, east London, Tuesday, July 10, 2012. A judgement is due to be handed down Tuesday after residents of the London apartment tower went to court Monday in a bid to stop their rooftop from being used as a missile base during the upcoming Olympic Games, saying the deployment in a densely-populated area could make the building a terrorist target. The British military plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles at six sites around London as part of a vast security operation for the July 27-Aug. 12, 2012 London Olympic Games, but residents of the 17-storey tower block say they were not consulted about the plans.(AP Photo/Matt Dunham) less

A general view shows the Fred Wigg Tower in Leytonstone, east London, Tuesday, July 10, 2012. A judgement is due to be handed down Tuesday after residents of the London apartment tower went to court Monday in ... more

Photo: Matt Dunham, Associated Press

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FILE - In this May 3, 2012 file photo, Sergeant Craig from Britain's Royal Artillery regiment holds a high-velocity missile, or HVM, lightweight multiple launcher during a media event ahead of a training exercise designed to test military procedures prior to the Olympic period in Blackheath, London. The British army will be putting HVM missiles, capable of shooting down a hijacked aircraft, on the roof of Fred Wigg Tower, an apartment building on the outskirts of London, as part of its security during the 2012 Olympics. Residents fought the plan, but a High Court judge said Tuesday, July 10, 2012 that the missiles presented "no real threat" to residents and were a necessary part of Olympic security. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File) less

FILE - In this May 3, 2012 file photo, Sergeant Craig from Britain's Royal Artillery regiment holds a high-velocity missile, or HVM, lightweight multiple launcher during a media event ahead of a training ... more

Photo: Matt Dunham, Associated Press

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Britain's missile plan for Olympics security OKd

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London --

The British military can deploy a surface-to-air missile battery atop an apartment building during the Olympics, a judge said Tuesday, throwing out a challenge by residents who argued that their home would become a prime target for terrorists.

The battery would be capable of launching missiles toward suspicious aircraft at up to three times the speed of sound. The government is planning to set up six such installations around London as part of a massive security operation for the Summer Games that will also include 13,500 troops, more than Britain has stationed in Afghanistan.

Tenants of the Fred Wigg Tower apartment high-rise in East London, near the Olympic Park, took the government to court, saying that it failed to consult them properly in deciding to plunk down an antiaircraft missile battery on their rooftop and alleging that their right to a peaceful home life had been violated.

But High Court Justice Charles Haddon-Cave said the military was within its rights to choose a residential building as a missile platform and that its community outreach, while not obligatory, was "immaculate."

Residents of the apartment building were laboring under "something of a misapprehension" as to the nature of the weaponry and of the risks posed by it, Haddon-Cave was quoted as saying.

Critics have described the government's security arrangements for the Summer Olympics, which kick off July 27, as overkill. In addition to the missiles, the military is also mooring its biggest warship in the Thames and patrolling with spy planes and helicopters with snipers.

At about $875 million, the Olympic security budget is double the original amount.